A jury has found William Victor Schneider guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Japanese exchange student Natsumi Kogawa, whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Vancouver two years ago.

The verdict was announced Friday afternoon on the fourth day of deliberations, and prompted both applause and tears in the courtroom.

Outside court, the victim's mother told reporters she's grateful to the jurors for delivering justice for her daughter, who was just 30 years old when her life was cut short.

Emiko Kogawa said the deceased was a caring, curious and outgoing person who spoke often about Vancouver’s beautiful scenery.

"She was open to everybody," she said through an interpreter and family friend. "Always wanted to learn more and had big dreams."

The grieving mother said she hopes Schneider spends "as long (in prison) as possible." His second-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence, though parole eligibility still has to be determined at a future hearing.

Earlier this week, Schneider surprised the court by entering a guilty plea on a second count of interfering with human remains, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.

Police found Kogawa's naked body on the grounds of the Gabriola House mansion on Sept. 28, 2016, about three weeks after she was reporting missing.

Schneider's trial heard he had left the Lower Mainland for Vernon as authorities were searching for the exchange student, and as her friends and family were holding out hope she would turn up alive.

As part of their search, police released a surveillance image to the public showing Schneider and Kogawa together, which led to the accused being recognized by his family.

The court heard Schneider's brother went to meet him in a Vernon park, where Schneider disclosed the location of Kogawa's body and asked his brother to relay the information to police.

Officers arrested the suspect in Vernon the same day Vancouver police located her remains.

Coroners were unable to determine a cause of death, however. The jurors heard that Kogawa was found to have two prescription sedatives in her system – zopiclone and lorazepam – but that toxicology tests were unable to determine precise levels because of her state of decomposition.

Kogawa's mother said she followed a strict diet and avoided drugs as much as possible. She doesn't believe her daughter would have taken anything willingly.

Standing with a framed photo of the deceased, Emiko Kogawa delivered an emotional message to her daughter following Friday's verdict: "People listened. People understood you. It wasn't your fault, so watch us from heaven," she said.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber